Fatal hospital-acquired Legionella pneumonia in a neonate

Abstract

Legionnaire disease is a rare cause of community-acquired pneumonia in children and an exceedingly rare diagnosis in infants and neonates, with only few reported cases. We describe a case of fatal Legionnaire disease diagnosed by culture and polymerase chain reaction method from sputum and lung biopsy specimens, and emphasize the importance of considering this rare entity in cases of severe neonatal pneumonia.